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    North Atlantic, 1941 World War II: German submarines are sinking British merchant ships and sailors waiting in life boats for rescue are struggling to survive in the frigid waters. Oddly enough, the survival rate among young, presumably more fit, sailors is much lower than among older sailors.

    Sir Lawrence Hold, owner of the Blue Funnel Shipping Line, calls upon old friend and well-known progressive educator Kurt Hahn to discover the reason for this discrepancy and to rectify it. Hahn understood the problem as a lack of life experience and consequent lack of confidence, rather than any shortage of skill or equipment. In Aberdovey, Wales, he establishes a program of progressively rugged challenges to help young recruits develop the internal fortitude and confidence necessary to survive harsh physical challenges. Hahn explains that through achievement, young people can learn they possess "far more than they know" and begin to rely on the themselves.

    The program is an immediate success. Holt names it "Outward Bound" after the nautical term that refers to a ship that is leaving port for the open ocean.  The program's destiny is to grow to include more than 50 schools internationally.

    United States, Today: Outward Bound Wilderness thrives across the country. Courses are offered in wilderness areas, in the mountains, on rivers and lakes throughout the nation and on ocean waters off both coasts.  Many of the courses also offer international elements in various parts of the world.

 

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